Father linked to embezzlement killed his two sons

The father who strangled his two children then tried to kill himself has been described as the ‘perfect devoted dad’ by shocked neighbors in the Carlow village of Ballinkillen.

But it also emerged on Tuesday that Sanjeev Chada has been linked with a €50,000 embezzlement case in Carlow.

The Irish Independent has reported that Chada is linked to a €50,000 embezzlement case in Carlow and a police investigation is about to begin.

Officers in Mayo have confirmed that Chada is in an ‘extremely distressed’ state but he will be arrested on suspicion of murder when doctors say he is fit enough to be discharged.

He had to be cut from the wreckage by a fire crew and witnesses described how the car careered down a by-road at speed before crashing into a wall.

One witness told the Irish Independent: “He was traveling at speed and hit the wall. It looked intentional. Locals heard the bang and came out to investigate. The guards (police) were on the scene within five minutes.

“I saw them cut the father out of the car. He seemed to be badly enough injured. There wasn’t much blood but he was unconscious.

“One of the first people on the scene had seen the two boys in the boot of the car. It was a sight they won’t get over for a long time.”

Police will begin to question Sanjeev Chada on Tuesday on suspicion that he murdered his children then tried to take his own life by crashing his car into a wall in County Mayo.

Reports say he was found in the car with a makeshift noose around his neck.

The 43-year-old was taken from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment to his injuries.
The bodies of his sons Eoghan and Ruairi were discovered in the boot of the car and officers believe they were strangled.

Locals in the Carlow village where the family lived described Sanjeev as a perfect dad who brought his sons to and from school, made them lunch when they got home and supported their sporting endeavors.

The Irish Independent reports that he was known as ‘Sanj’ in the village where he was a stay-at home-dad. His wife Kathleen commuted to Dublin where she works as a nurse in a fertility clinic.

He had left the family home with the two boys on Sunday night to bring them bowling as a treat.

When they failed to return home, a worried Kathleen raised the alarm and police launched a nationwide alert.

Family and friends had gathered at Kathleen’s parents’ house when the tragic news broke.

One woman whose children went to school with the two boys told the Irish Independent: “Honest to God we can’t even take in what’s happened yet.

“Some of our children don’t even know. We’re waiting for them to come home to tell them. It’s just awful.”

Another local told the paper: “Nobody knows what has happened here, you know. That’s the mystery of it. I suppose if two children and their father go out bowling and are not back by midnight, that’s most unusual.”

The Murphy family have lived and farmed in Ballinkillen for about 45 years according to the report and are ‘very well respected members of the farming community’.

The couple had lived in Dublin before moving home to Carlow

The report says Chada is thought to have been born in Ireland to Indian parents, is understood to be Hindu.

His wife Kathleen is a committed Catholic and serves as a sacristan in the local church in Ballinkillen.

Local parish priest Fr Declan Foley was with the Chada family when news of the car accident was broken to the boys’ mother and other relatives.

He said: “It was like an earthquake hit the place. It was devastating for all of us.

“You can’t put into words the shock and numbness and pain and grief of that news coming through.”